You've Got To Be Seen In Green

I was watching The Wiz when I realized the publishing industry is a lot like the Emerald City Sequence. That's the scene in Oz where everyone is dressed in the color of the moment dancing and singing...about the color. Oh forget it, here's the scene.


Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the Wiz and writing. Just like the citizens of Oz, many writers faithfully follow the current trends. There are some that won't even write a story unless it's the "in" thing. So you have these writers rushing to get in on the latest craze while waiting anxiously for some great announcement proclaiming their story as hot or not.

Remember when paranormals became hot? It started as Vampire romance then writers glutted the market so the stories evolved into Buffy fan fiction vampire hunter stories. Now everyone has some kind of series featuring a menagerie (and menage) of paranormal creatures.

How about the birth of shallow, self-absorbed heroines with shoe obsessions Chick Lit. After the success of Bridget Jones Diary, everyone tried to catch a ride on that bandwagon. Some of the writers who'd just finished their paranormals were freaking out resourceful enough to insert designer brands into the story and...voila Paranormal Chick-Lit.

Now the trend seems to be leaning toward Demon romance and menage a threes and fours. I can't help but wonder what's going to be the next big thing? Will it be dyslexic midgets (excuse me, little people) or perhaps colorblind "mama's boys"?